How bad is riding bareback for your horse?

[Crookedblaze]

Originally Posted by Slim Pikkens

I rode one particular horse bareback all the time, for hours at a time without him developing sore spots. Unless we move around a bit, our pelvic bones can create pressure spots, but if the rider tilts the pelvis a little and tighten's the glutes, this will lift the seat bones. This exercise helps the rider develop a nice butt.

Slim, I'm telling you...someone has to do a workout video on horses. The celebrities will eat it up. Riding horses (especially bareback) is one of the best workouts you can get for your entire body. I was a gymnast for 8 years and from riding every day I was in better shape then the girls that went to the gym 6 days a week.

I do notice when riding at speeds other then a walk, I move around a lot - at the trot I post (otherwise I'd get bouced off) at the lope I try to move with him and at the gallop I two-point as best I can and off we go.

[GreyDot]

Originally Posted by David

Second--Greydot---Native American Indians didn't ride bareback unless they had to. In fact several tribes developed their own style saddles when they couldn't get enough of them by raiding or trading. Look up native american saddles and see what you find, you'll also find that any native american who could get one rode with a bit and bridle, those who couldn't did what anyone else would and improvised. Sorry to get off topic but being a history enthusiast this is kind of a pet peeve of mine...

David

David, I'll be the first to admit that I absolutely am terrible at history! You are completely right, they did use saddles when they could. I was merely pointing out that there was some bareback riding. After all, they didn't even have horses until the conquistadors brought them over (I'm praying I'm right on this one ). They did get tack from the Spaniards, and did make their own, too, as well as ride bareback.

[skippersmom]

I would think it has to do with both size of horse and size of person. My girl is extra large (big boned) so when i ride her in the fields bareback she acts as if she doesn't even know I am up there. That being said, i also dont do anything but walk. I am not brave enough to trot or canter for fear of slidding off the mountain top

[dymond]

About the heavy back pack on a frame...

My husband is in the service and he agrees, that the backpack with a frame is easier to carry...

HOWEVER !!!!! I asked him to go down on all 4's (for arguments sake..hehe) and then tell me.
He said the framed backpack was nowhere near so great when the entire weight rested on the frame, which rested on his back. Esp. if said frame doesn't fit just right.

He did admit in that case the soft backpack was far better, as long as the weight didn't slop around back and forth.

There are many pads now that are excellent at weight distribution. I ride in treeless saddles and have friends who do the same. Have seen what it can do for the horses disposition, back and topline. One horses topline filled in nicely, and her old treed saddle actually fit well.

I'd say riding bareback is actually preferable to riding in a ill fitting saddle. And I've seen far more people riding in saddles that don't fit quite right, then riding bareback.

Problem with saddles is....its HARD to find one that fits "just right" in every aspect. And then ? Your horses shape changes. A little weightloss here, some weight gain there, muscles shape up or go down, form changes. Meaning...the saddle that fit so great a few month ago, doesn't anymore.

Long story short. With either treed saddle, treeless saddle or bareback...make sure the saddle fits every couple of weeks ! Check the back after riding for sore spots. Watch your horses attitude while riding, etc etc.

Never think because something worked fine for a while, it will continue to do so

just my lil humble opinion, tho

[David]

Ok as far as getting on all fours with a pack...it's no more designed to work like that than a saddle is designed to work on a horse walking on it's hind legs all the time. It was a pretty good way to make me eat my words though, I have to give that to you...lol. My point was that when used as designed the saddle ( along with the pack frame) supports and distributes the weight of the load to increase comfort for the bearer.

I do agree that finding a saddle that fits perfectly all the time is impossible, you have to find the best fit and then adjust the fit with proper padding. That is the reason, even 100-150 years ago, almost everyone you see on a horse has their saddle padded differently. Again I'm not saying that bareback is horrible, I'm just saying everything in moderation.

Just so that I am not thought to be hypocritical, I want everyone to know that I have, do and will again ride horses bareback when I feel like it. I especially like to ride them bareback just after being shod so that I can really feel how they are moving with their new shoes/angles. However, being that I'm pushing 280 lbs I keep my bareback rides to about 10 minutes and not more than once a week.


David

[jdougert]

Riding a horse bareback puts too much pressure directly on the spine, preventing him from being able to lift his back and in an effort to protect their back and get away from the weight will 'hollow' his back, which, over time, can lead to all sorts of problems down the road that do not seem related but are. Riding a horse in a 'hollow' frame will not only cause swayback, it will develop the wrong muscles in the neck which can make a horse begin to look 'ewe' necked (what some people refer to as 'up-side down'. The muscles on the underside of the neck (above the chest) will become stronger than the topline. Very unsightly in my opinion. Of course bad riding/training causes this too - saddle or not saddle. Bareback riding may be convenient for the rider but not really in the best long term interest of the horses comfort and well being. Just because a horse tolerates something does not mean it is good for him. Bareback riding can have it's place for a short lesson on rider learning balance, etc. A horse should never be jumped bareback... Don't mean to offend anyone, but this is such an important subject, JMHO

[redboy]

[quote=jdougert;1443825] Riding a horse in a 'hollow' frame will not only cause swayback,

I honestly thought swayback was more of a genetic predisposition??
How about using a BB pad??

[PaintsQH]

All I know is I have better balance from riding bareback. First time I rode like this on Chief I had a very hard time not being able to balance, but after riding this way about 3 times a week, for a month, I noticed a big difference. I have a barrel horse and decided to lope him (I get a bit nervous loping on him since he has a faster lope then Chief) and I actually felt like I had better balance overall. When I ride "bareback" I use a saddle pad with the gel underneath, and the bareback pad on top. As far as being severely overweight, it would be kind of difficult to ride bareback if you were 300+ pounds (NOT passing judgement on people who are overweight, I need to lose 40lbs) as it would be hard to not wobble. I think bareback, with no pad is uncomfortable for me. Plus I am afraid of falling off. The pad gives me some hint of security.

[jdougert]

[
I honestly thought swayback was more of a genetic predisposition??
How about using a BB pad??[/quote]

redboy, yes true, but not the only cause. There can be other factors as well.

[David]

Just throwing this out there.

Old army manuals from both the U.S. and Brittain suggest that troopers learn to jump their horses, not only bareback, but with their hands clasped behind their backs. It was considered less of an embarrassment to hit the ground with your hands clasped than to make it over the jump by grabbing the horse's mane.

Now those same manuals suggest that this exercise only be performed for a certain amount of time over a specific times span. It's been a while since I read it so I won't try to quote but it was only once or twice a week and the actual time riding bare back was minimal. However, to improve balance troopers often were required to remove their stirrups, the same way ( I believe) that a lot of english lessons are taught today.

David

[GreyDot]

Originally Posted by PaintsQH

All I know is I have better balance from riding bareback. First time I rode like this on Chief I had a very hard time not being able to balance, but after riding this way about 3 times a week, for a month, I noticed a big difference. I have a barrel horse and decided to lope him (I get a bit nervous loping on him since he has a faster lope then Chief) and I actually felt like I had better balance overall. When I ride "bareback" I use a saddle pad with the gel underneath, and the bareback pad on top. As far as being severely overweight, it would be kind of difficult to ride bareback if you were 300+ pounds (NOT passing judgement on people who are overweight, I need to lose 40lbs) as it would be hard to not wobble. I think bareback, with no pad is uncomfortable for me. Plus I am afraid of falling off. The pad gives me some hint of security.

I agree with you, PaintsQH - I also feel that my balance is better bareback! Sounds like your experience is very similar to mine.

Dot, even at age 25, really does appreciate being ridden bareback. He does not now and never has had a sway back. And this is a horse who knows how to carry his own and rider's weight. At GP dressage, our balance is pretty much impeccable, I know exactly where my weight goes, and the saddle has been fit to a T. Still, Dot just always seems to enjoy it and relax when we go out bareback. He wanders along, with his neck stretched down and his back lifted and rounded - so there's no question of it hurting him. I don't even use a bareback pad, because my 'grip' is better without it. Honestly, as our chiro suggested, it depends on the individual horse - I would go further and suggest that a rider's seat and flexibility make a huge difference, too. I would think that a horse's bare back would be disturbed by someone who is (a) grossly overweight (I mean GROSSLY), (b) badly balanced and keeps wobbling, making the horse constantly adjust his balance and straining muscles (think of piggy-backing a squirming kid) or (c) someone with a very insecure seat, who sits rigidly, with muscles very tense, and literally 'digs' into the horse's back, instead of sitting softly, with relaxed buttocks, which will 'squish' and provide natural 'panels' on which to sit, on either side of the horse's spine, just as a well-fitting saddle would.

[Western Cowgirl]

well i don't ride bareback much anymore because when i ride my horse bareback she will buck if i go faster than a trot.
So... it might hurt the horse

[EquineAlberta]

And here is the science:

Riding bareback causes these issues:
1) Osterphytes/spondylosis on the ventral and lateral bodies adjacent to the inttervertebral space.
2) Impinging or overriding spinous processs
3) Horisontal fissures through epiphysis
4) Periarticular changes.

(info taken from "The Domestic Horse" Edited by Daniel Mills and Sue McDonnell)

The horse may not show pain, or sensitive spots until the bony changes are such that they cause permanent and severe pain. The horse may not show pain until years later when it becomes stiff moving as arthritis sets in. It does not require a lot of weight to cause these issues. Horses are just NOT meant to carry weight along their spine.

That said, I agree that in moderation, riding bareback is fun, and unlikely to be harmful long term as long as you are fit, in balance, and your horse is fit and has decent back health.

Karen

[oveywon]

zzz

[Crookedblaze]

When I first started taking lessons (from a certified chiropractor O.O) she taught all of her students how to jump bareback. Granted, this was 15 years ago and I'm not sure if research was done about riding bareback.

Pat Parelli also has people jump and ride bareback and bridleless and his higher levels. I'm not sure if it's an every day thing, or if it's just to show off.

I'd much rather be safe then sorry though, especially with Rocket. If I hurt him, I don't know what I'd do.

[EquineAlberta]

Oveyone, the references for that particular chapter is 2.5 pages long and a compilation of many different scientific studies. I have other books that reference to these issues as well, but this one just compiles it better and is more scientific. Basically in this book they show that these are the signs that a horse has been ridden bareback or with a pad saddle, and so they can use that modern day knowledge of back damage, to go back and study equine remains to see if civilizations rode horses prior to the invention of the saddle.

Karen

[fishing_trex]

My horse was having back issues and I got an equine chiropractor to come out. She is
certified in people and animal chiropractic work. She told me bareback is very bad for
a horse's back.

My mare was having issues because the saddle "flexed" too much (flex tree) and set me right
down on her spine. Bareback does the same thing. Certainly a very small, light person won't
cause the same pressure as a large, heavier person, but a saddle helps to spread the pressure out,
while bareback riding concentrates it all in one spot. A woman who raises mountain horses
here has one of those pressure pads and she tried it out with regular saddles, treeless saddles,
and bareback. The regular saddles kept the pressure off the center line; the treeless saddles sort of did;
bareback put most of the pressure on the center line.

I would think how you ride and your seat would make a difference in how much pressure was being
applied directly to the spine. It would also depend on the horse -- I've ridden some bareback where I could
really "feel" the spine; others not so much. But if you really want to know, palpate after you are
done riding and see what kind of reaction you get.